Process of volatilizing metals.



S. I. CLAWSON.

PROCESS OF VOLATILIZING METALS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. I912.

Patented July 25, I916.

mu Menus Grime/11S a" neuron.

SELDEN IRWIN CLAWSON, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

PROCESS OF VOLATILIZING METALS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SELDEN I. CLAWSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake, State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Volatilizing Metals, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in the process of treating metals, and more particularly to the volatilization of metals and-the collection of the volatile compounds.

An object ofv the invention is to provide a process wherein sulfates may be formed in the ore being treated, and said sulfates utilized in the forming of volatile halogen compounds, and which volatile compounds may be collected and the metal extracted therefrom in any of the well known methods.

Inthe drawings, the figure illustrates in section and more or less diagrammatically,

an apparatus for carrying out my improved process.

The process consists generally in the roasting of an ore which contains gold, silver, copper, lead, antimony, cobalt, zinc and other metals whose halogen compounds vol atilize, in the presence of air, and with the addition of sulfur if necessary, in order to form a sulfate, and then in the adding of a halogen salt to the roasted ore, and the chlorination of the ore with the flux added thereto, whereby a volatile halogen compound is formed, and the collecting of said volatile compound and directing the same to an arrester, condenser, baghouse, or some other form of catcher.

The process will perhaps be better understood by reference to the apparatus shown in the drawing, which illustrates one form of device for carrying out said process.

In the drawings I have shown a furnace which is formed in two sections, one of which is an open roasting furnace and the other a mufiie furnace. At the bottom is a suitable fire box 1, which extends underneath a mufiie 3, in which the ore to be treated may be placed. At the front and back of muffle 3 are fiues allowing the fire box gases to pass upward from fire box 1 around mufile 3 to the furnace 7, thence Specification of Letterslatnt.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed October 28, 1912. Serial No. 728,187.

out through smoke stack 9. The muffle 3 is closed to the outer air by a suitable door 4,

through which the ore may be properly distributed, rabbled and aired when required. A pipe 5 leads from mufiie 3. This pipe is adapted to receive the volatile halogen com-' furnace 7 is provided with a hearth 8, on

which the ore is placed, and with a stack 9 which conducts the burnt gases from the furnace. Air is admitted and rabbling is permitted through an entrance 10.

The ore is first crushed and placed in the roasting furnace 7 on the hearth 8. The ore is thoroughly roast-ed by the burning gases which are directed upwardly into the roasting furnace and onto the ore. If the ore be an oxid, carbonate and if the ore should not have sufficient sulfur therein for sulfating the same, sulfur may be added thereto in any convenient form. It is essential that there shall be in-the ore an excess of sulfur and an abundance-of air, so that as far as possible, sulfates will be formed out of the metals in the ore. The temperature of the roasting furnace, of course, depends upon the particular metals being treated. After the ore has been roasted. a sufficient time to form sulfates out of the metals in the ore except the iron and to make as far as possible oxids out of the iron, it is then drawn through the chute 11 into the muffle furnace 3, and as the ore is passed through the chute, halogen salts are mixed therewith from the delivering spout 12, which is connected with a hopper 13. A worm conveyer 14 is utilized for forcing the halogen salts into the ore. The roasted 'ore thoroughly mixed with halogen salts, is spread upon the floor in the muffle furnace 3, where the ore is heated to the proper degree to form a volatile halogen compound, and these volatile compounds are conducted through the pipe 5 to the fume arrester or other form of catcher.

While I have described a combined roasting and muffle furnace for carrying out my process, it will be readily understood that one furnace may be used for roasting, and a second furnace for volatilizing the halogen compounds, the essential feature being that in the roasting furnace an excess of sulfur shall be used and plenty of air for forming the sulfates, while in the second furnace the air supply is limited or excluded, so as to form the halogen compounds which may be collected.

While I have shown the halogen salts or flux as mixed with the ore as it is passed from one furnace to the other, it.will be obvious that chlorin may be introduced into the ore in a different form, as for example, in the form of a carrier gas, which may be utilized for the chlorination of the ore, and said carrier gas may be also utilized as a carrier for conveying the halogen compounds to the arrester, in which case said carrier gas would be again directed to the furnace andre-used for the purpose above stated. Or a carrier gas of air, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxid or other suitable gas could be used as a carrier gas to convey the volatile chloride to an arrester, condenser, baghouse or suitable catcher, and then again ing volatile halogen compounds out of the sulfates and gold in the ore and collecting said volatile compounds with an arrester, condenser, baghouse or other suitable means.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

SELDEN IRWIN CLAWSON. Witnesses:

T. D. JONES, A. LIVINGSTONE. 

